Karnali river at Chisapani

The Karnali rises near Mount Kailash in Tibet, cuts through the remote far-west of Nepal and emerges onto the plains at Chisapani. Here the East–West Highway crosses it on a tall cable-stayed bridge, one of the most striking pieces of engineering in the Tarai.

Fish and river life

Chisapani is famous for fresh river fish, fried and served in roadside eateries by the bridge — a favourite lunch stop for bus passengers. Rafting and kayaking trips on the Karnali, among the finest big-water runs in the Himalaya, often end near here.

Downstream

Below the bridge the Karnali splits into branches around the Rajapur area, forming the western edge of Bardiya National Park. The river here is one of the last homes in Nepal of the Ganges river dolphin, and mugger and gharial crocodiles bask on its sandbanks.